al-qalam Volume 9 | Issue 13

February 2018 | Jumada Al-Thani 1439

Termly Newsletter

Food Collection Project

The Good Neighbour Project

Read about this and much more...

Also featuring:

Sisterhood Day Anti-Bullying Week Coding Club Exam Tips 5 Reasons to Eat Breakfast & much more... Azhar Academy Girls School 235a Romford Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 9HL T: 020 8555 5959

www.aags.org.uk

More Great Articles: Digital Age Arabic Club Conflict & Hope Centre of the Cell Trip Soduko

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Headteacher’s Message - Mrs R.Adam “In the Name of Allah , the Most Bene�icent, the Most Merciful. All the praises and thanks be to Allah , the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). The Most Bene�icent, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help. Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray. (The Qur'anSurah Al-Fatihah)” Autumn term has been a very busy one for the school and this newsletter, summarise some of the many exciting activities our students have been involved in. All members of the school and local communities should be very proud of our young people. Year 10 and Year 11 students had the opportunity to attend a performance by Shadow Games; a project which addresses the problem of radicalisation and violent extremism through drama, promoting the safeguarding of young people through active community engagement and counteracting stereotypes to build understanding of dif�icult issues. Shadow Games is a youth-led initiative, and encourages the voices of young people to be heard on a range of dif�icult issues, including the power of persuasion, and grooming through social media and in personal relationships. Students had the opportunity to explore the power of language and manipulation which they saw in the drama, recognising the vulnerability and susceptibility of young people, and recognising how they can be in�luenced or drawn into risk-taking situations by people they want to trust and acknowledging the reality of violence and the power of non-violence . Student council and Tarbiyaah mentors had the opportunity to participate in a workshop with

London Borough of Newham, Committee Resilience Of�icer Haydar Muntadhar.

Students had an opportunity to discuss the phenomenon of extremism and what factors are argued to contribute to the process of radicalisation.After understanding radicalisation, the workshop concluded with a brainstorm about ways in which young leaders and society as a whole can develop projects and initiatives aimed at challenging extremism and widening discussion. The workshop was very interactive and is centred around case studies and group discussions. Staff have kindly volunteered their weekends to hold workshops for students. The aim of these sessions is to provide your daughter with a platform to discuss personal issues in a safe and comfortable environment without feeling judged or embarrassed. This will hopefully build their self-con�idence in who they are and what they believe. Teachers will help and support them to �ind the strength to abide by their principles and advise them from a religious and realistic perspective. Topics will be a wide range and will include; relationships, con�idence issues, body image, Islamophobia, substance abuse, challenges of being a Muslimah, social media as well as mental and emotional wellbeing.

As always, if you have any other queries or questions, please feel free to contact the school or speak to our friendly of�ice staff who will do their very best to be of help and assistance. We regularly update school news on the website, via email and texts so please check these regularly. Remember the school in your duas and we look forward to the continued support and guidance of parents.

Mrs Rookshana Adam, Headteacher

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Settling into Secondary Education Moving from primary school to secondary school was a big change for me. For the �irst few days I was really nervous because I didn’t know anybody and we received a lot of homework. Later on I realised that we received a lot of homework because our teachers want us to get better in all of our subjects. I also found out that our teachers don’t give us as much homework as we think they do; we only think it’s a lot of homework because in most primary schools you don’t get proper homework. Our teachers always care about our education and they always give us a reasonable amount of time to complete our homework. Our school uses many different methods to help us to improve and grow into better people.

I have only been in Azhar Academy Girls School for one term and yet I have learnt so much. I have made many friends and I feel very connected with everyone in 7G and 7A. All the tarbiyyah mentors, prefects and teachers have helped me so much in different ways possible. Every single person in school has an amazing character and you could ask any person for help and they would help you straight away. I feel so blessed to be a part of AAGS; it’s de�initely a place I would like to keep studying in and I would really recommend this school to others! Aleeha Kamran – Year 7A

Students' Universal Dilemma Exams! Unfortunately, this single word draws instant connotations of stress, anxiety and dread. Rather exams and assessments should be associated with a sense of achievement and ambition to excel and prove one's self. While students undeniably may receive heavy pressure to succeed expectations, it goes unsaid that a dominant factor during this period of tension is the student themselves. Ironically, I must stress the importance of not stressing.

Stress and self-doubt is what restrains us from being and doing the best in our capacities. Replace negative statements, such as 'I am going to fail, I don't know anything!', with an open mind-set, 'InshaaAllah I will do my best.' By introducing minimal changes like this, you desist from stressing and feel more prepared for the big day. Approaching one of the most crucial examinations myself (GCSEs), I am particularly aware of the hurdle which is actually starting to revise. It is an indisputable fact for us students; we know what to revise, we know how. The problem however, is the internal con�lict of how to start. The typical solution to this perplex dilemma? Procrastination - the sheer enemy of progress. Refrain from resorting to such a disastrous option! Rather, reassure yourself that revision is temporary; however, the grades attained from your efforts are permanent.

Additionally, setting a 15 minute timer is an ef�icient method. This time window is neither too short nor too long, hence being ideal in motivating you to commence working hard. The trick is that once you have initiated the process of being productive, not only do you feel splendid, but also ambitious enough to conquer the task entirely. The most signi�icant factor to bear in mind is that education is an advantageous blessing from Allah. Show your gratitude through giving it your all. Allah does not waste the efforts of a believer, likewise your efforts will not betray you. Zainab Abdulalim - Year 11G

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Year 10’s Food Collection Project As part of our Citizenship project we (Ayesha, Maryam, Arnika and Taslima) have been raising awareness about ‘Modern Day Poverty and The Homeless’. We �irst delivered an assembly to raise awareness about homelessness and being poor. Our next step was to perform a citizenship action so we decided to do a food collection. Alhamdulillah we completed this task on the 12th January. We informed the school beforehand to bring in different foods such as tinned fruits/vegetables, pasta, beans, breakfast cereals etc.

Almost everyone participated and brought in food in order to help needy people. Several boxes were collected and we honestly did not expect this much.

After we organised the boxes we then delivered them to the Trussell Trust Food Bank in Barking. Many people offered help and support here and we had the chance to speak with the volunteers about how the food bank works. The staff at the food bank was delighted to see the amount of food collected and thanked us for the donations by Azhar Academy Girls School. JazakAllahu khayran to all the students who brought in food and may Allah reward you all. Page 3

The Good Neighbour

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The Good Neighbour Islam emphasises the rights that our neighbours have over us so greatly that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) once said, “Angel Jibreel (Peace be upon him) kept reminding me about treating neighbours with kindness until I thought that he would assign them a share of inheritance”.

Throughout the last term, Year 7 Islamic Studies students have been steadily learning about how being a Muslim means ful�illing the rights that Allah Subhana Wa Taa’la has over us, whilst also striving to ful�il the rights of others. A very important part of being a believer is our relationships with people, being good to them, making sure to forgive them when they hurt us, and to apologize and make amends when we hurt them. It’s tough to be good to people; it requires being generous with our time and energy- two very limited resources.

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It was with much eagerness and excitement that they hand delivered those carefully packaged gifts to our AAGS neighbours, ful�illing a very important right that they have over us.

We all have a duty when it comes to ful�illing the rights of Allah Subhana Wa Taa’la as well as ful�illing the rights of people over us, so we ask Allah to help us, to make it easy, and to make us true believers, make us people of the Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him)’s character, and ful�illers of others’ rights. Apa Shabana

When the year 7s learnt how important the rights of others- especially our neighbours- are to us, they excitedly got to work on taking the hadith they had learnt in class from an ideal to a reality. After brainstorming the many different ways that they could go about doing this, they settled on the idea of creating care packages to gift to some of our AAGS neighbours.

Other ways we can fulfil our neighbours’ rights over us: • Introduce yourself and your family to your neighbours when you move into a new place or when new neighbours move in • Care for them continually, especially at times of need and distress, as "the neighbour in need is a neighbour indeed." • Share some food with them • Visit them when they’re unwell • Offer condolences and help in times of calamity • Offer congratulations at times of joy and happiness • As much as possible overlook mistakes, bear annoyances and conceal your neighbour’s faults.

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The British Museum Trip We travelled to the museum using public transport. The museum was clear and white there were a lot of artefacts, sculptures, jewellery, old clothing and more.

We had a “group maths quiz” and had to walk around the museum doing maths problems involving the items in the museum in the allocated rooms.

First, we had to �ind a tall artefact. It was covered in hieroglyphics, which are Egyptian letters. We had a pack of questions regarding the artefacts found the answers quickly then moved on. In the same room, we found a c olossal arm that we had to draw, as a task. One of the students drew the arm and I measured how many arms would �it in it. Once we completed that, we used ratios to estimate the length of the arm.

We went to the ancient China section where we had to solve a tangram. The Islamic culture section was very interesting; we had to describe the shape of mosaics without saying the actual name of the shape. Therefore, we used phrases such as symmetrical, re�lecting and continuous. After a short break, we headed to the Roman area where we converted Roman numerals into normal numbers;

this task was very simple and easy.

In the Greek section, we found out about Babylonian numerals. This task was trickier than the Roman numerals but we got there in the end. Then we went to the money section and looked for a Chinese bank note as part of the next task. When we found it, we were surprised because it was huge! We had to calculate the area of a £5 note and see how many of them �it on the Chinese bank note. Did you know that eight whole bank notes would be able to �it onto the one note? Then we went to see a ball-rolling clock, which looked cool. We had to calculate how many hour, minutes, second and ticks the clock makes in the year. I thought interesting experience. information encourage museum.

the trip was very and a wonderful I learnt a lot of new and would certainly others to visit the

Suraiya Islam - Year 8G

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A Lesson Learnt There was once a man who owned a buffalo. He led her into a river but could not get her out again. He then thought of showing the buffalo her calf. When the buffalo saw her calf she came out of the river.

Another man was watching and he had dropped his table in the river and could not get it out. After seeing this event, he decided to use the same method. So he then brought a stool and showed the table. However the table did not come out of the river. He stood there confused and remarked “what a heartless table, she did not come out even when seeing her child!”The people standing on the bank however could not stop laughing.

The lesson of this story is that you should not copy others and instead use you own knowledge. It also shows the love of a mother; the buffalo would not get out of the river until she saw her calf. Humaira Uddin – Year 9A

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My experience of the Food Technician Club Food Tech Club was exciting, enjoyable and creative. We learnt many skills and recipes during the course of this term, and now more than ever appreciate the effort it takes to make one dish from preparing, making and then cleaning. This club has made me very independent and I now feel con�ident enough to attempt some recipes myself without support and instructions. I also think that this club is really essential, especially since it taught us valuable life skills such as how to wash fruits, operating hot items safely and food hygiene.

Overall, I am very happy to have had the chance to participate in this term’s cooking club and I hope to have the chance to participate again in the near future, as would my fellow peers. Simrah Khan – Year 8G

I liked making all the recipes including the healthy ones like couscous and vegetables, Mediterranean salads and salsas. However, I have to say one of my most favourite sessions was when we made the Oreo/Ferro Roche milkshake. We did this as a class and the milkshake turned out to be surprisingly very tasty even though it only required three ingredients and a blender. I also liked making the grilled cheese sandwiches, the strawberry mojito and the tri�le. Page 8

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5 Reasons to Eat Breakfast Early mornings and multiple priorities can often contribute to students and teachers alike missing the one most important mealBREAKFAST! An astonishing 32% of the nation’s pupils and 14% of teachers skip these calories. This signals a blue siren for a 5-minute sugar high and mid-morning energy crash with some of our own girls qualifying a can of cola or slice of cake as a morning meal. I decided to investigate a little further into the breakfast eating habits of some of our school members, convincing the most stubborn non-breakfast and highest calorie consumers with 5 reasons to eat a nutritious breakfast. 1. Energy Booster

A great way to refuel and prepare for the day at AAGS, is with a combination of healthy proteins, carbs and �ibre that will charge you into motion and improve moods. Whole-grain breads and whole-grain cereals, oats, milk, fruit, veg, yoghurt, eggs and �ish are all fantastic sources of nutrient dense options. 2. Brain power

Pupils and teachers all need brain power to absorb and relay information to one another. Studies indicate those who consume healthy breakfasts academically perform better with a greater ability of memorisation. Power, power, power to a higher performing brain with a nutritious morning meal and an all morning gain at school.

4. Glowing Skin

Improve the condition of skin. Opting for some of these goodies can do just that; fruits, eggs, oats and plenty of water. Hydrating foods and drinking water is key to stunning, glowing, beautiful skin. 5. Delicious

Breakfast can be the most delicious meal of the day with its endless possibilities. Combine fruits and yoghurts, milky oats with cinnamon and honey, boiled eggs with salmon and whole grain bread, avocado with cream cheese, sesame seeds and whole grain rice cakes. Eat on! The 5 Day Breakfast Challenge

A great way to see how your current breakfast impacts your morning performance is to keep a simple daily diary of what you have eaten and its mid-morning effects. At AAGS some of the students from 8G, 10A and 10G have already started to try this to improve their morning eating habits. This can also be extended to lunch. Give it a try!

Written by: Ms Yousuf (PE Department)

3. Balance the Scales

One of the biggest myths re�lected in stats reveal girls skip breakfast calories believing they will lose weight- WRONG! In fact, the opposite. Girls who eat a healthy breakfast are less likely to snack on high sugars and fats and gain excess weight. Get eating for a more balanced start!

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Anti-bullying Week 2017

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During the autumn term, the Student Council organised the school’s anti-bullying week by organising various events from the 13th to 17th November. Anti-bullying awareness is something we promote highly in Azhar Academy and we all believe that everyone should be treated fairly- “Everyone is equal but different”.

To begin the week the year 9s presented an assembly to the whole school about what bullying is and how to deal with situations that involve bullying. On the same day, we also took part in ‘Odd Socks Day’. Not only was this fun but it was a way of expressing ourselves and appreciating individuality and uniqueness. Along with this, the year 7s and 8s organised a poster competition for the year 7, 8 and 9. This was a good way to start off our fundraiser for anti-bullying.

On Wednesday, the year 10s and 11s held a bake sale competition during lunchtime. It was a very enjoyable way of adopting a wide-ranging actions for anti-bullying and we amazingly managed to sell a lot of food to students and teachers! The bake sale raised a lot of money for the charity “Children in Need”. Alhamdulillah we raised an amazing total of £618.58 for the charity: Children in Need. The next day, we had non-uniform day in which each student donated £1 for charity. Overall these events were very successful, gratifying and most importantly an excellent way of raising awareness.

Student Council Representative: Ayesha Ahmed- Year 10A

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Science Documentary Club This term, the students have watched a variety of scienti�ic documentaries to explore current issues around scienti�ic development and application. These included animal captivity, waste management, genetic modi�ication and its application in agriculture. Raeesah from year 9A thinks, ‘the club has been very interesting and educational. We learnt about a girl who never ate and capturing whales which were shocking and amazing’.

Furthermore, the students carried out team debates and class discussions on issues related to the documentaries. Debate questions included; are there enough facilities for people with learning dif�iculties? Should animals be kept in zoos? And should we use genetically modi�ied organisms? Through this students learnt how to work as a team, construct an argument as well as communicate and develop conclusions. The students have been exposed to how interesting non-�ictional documentaries and �ilms can be and how science is applied in the world today.

CRESTAwards Club CREST Awards Club (a club involving STEM) is a club to let your imagination run wild with your creativity on different projects to see how you would generate it as your topic. Most of our club in the autumn term preferred to go for the lipstick challenge in which we compare home-made lipstick to shop-bought lipstick to see if we were effortlessly wasting money for more chemicals.

We were able to �ind different background science, recipes and facts which may not just bene�it other people but also us because we take more time to understand the information before writing it on posters or typing up a PowerPoint. It was also a fun experience to see all the ingredients and how they reacted while being melted together. Overall, CREST Awards is a really great experience where you can learn and have fun at the same time.

Nashita Nazeem – Year 7A

Ms A. Khalil

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Centre of the Cell Trip THE TRIP WAS AT QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON’S THE CENTRE OF THE CELL. ACCORDING TO THE AZHAR GIRLS, THE TRIP WAS MAGNIFICENT.

This year Azhar Academy’s Year 7 were welcomed by the Centre of the cell and had a marvellous time.

The day started with members of staff demonstrating a presentation about cells. It had appeared that children were enjoying themselves by winning real plastic gold medals! All the girls had no idea what was coming up on the second half of their trip, where the day continued to be a day full of excitement and learning.

The DNA workshop blew everyone’s minds. Topics about chromosomes, adaptation and habitats were discussed freely to broaden our horizons. Everyone was challenged to compete for the “real, solid, gold plastic medal”

When they got on to the bus the Azhar Academy girls could not control their excitement. When they arrived at their destination of their trip, the Centre of the Cell located in Queen Mary University of London, they were ready for a day where they will learn new things.

As they stepped onto the colourful bridge they were overwhelmed by the colours. They all stared through the glass and saw three giant blobs. One was a pod, another was a cloud, and the �inal one was called the spike. They all gasped as they stepped into each pod, they saw themselves on the screen. Inside each pod the girls got a different experience; each pod opened automatically. They saw many video games which was there for the entertainment. Khadijah Akhter(7A)

The year seven classes were cleverly split into 3 groups for maximum enjoyment. The Pod was an exciting game room shaped like a cell. Games were spat out from the nucleus to challenge all the neurons on board. Not one game was boring. Cells are great!

Spellbound, everyone rushed to complete the activities. The medals were won by a few notable notables (whose names will not be noted). The presenter was enthralled and smiled broadly. “Animals adapt to their environments” she went on to say, we were certainly adapting to our surroundings… Lunch and prayers followed with us rushing to catch the bus back to good old Azhar Academy (our natural habitat).

I give a huge gratitude to all our teachers who organised a cellulous- sorry fabulous trip. Maryam Binkuweir – Year 7A

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Digital Age Inevitably everyone is affected by technology in this Digital Age which makes it more important for them to have a clear understanding of how different systems work and be able to implement the knowledge of computer science ef�iciently through their academics, careers and for an innovative future. Computers appear in every aspect of our society, be it from banking to shopping, from communication to driving our cars, from controlling our homes to helping in making our decisions.

Computer Science has replaced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a National Curriculum subject for all Key Stages. While ICT focused primarily on the use and application of computer systems and technology, Computing is more concerned with how computers are designed, programmed, how computational thinking is applied and overall how the computer systems work. To impart this knowledge effectively and at an early stage, our scheme of work is designed to progressively educate the pupils from year 7 towards the GCSE topics and ensure that they are prepared from an earlier stage for their upcoming challenges.

We believe that Computing is an integral part of a broad and balanced curriculum and every young person should obtain and develop these skills from early stage.

Clear academic expectations are set for the students by providing them the Scheme of Work for the whole term on the �irst day of every term. This will be the guidelines to what they are going to be learning through the term and what the expected outcomes are. Though they are learning new and challenging topics, the morale of the girls is always high and, Alhamdulillah, all the girls have progressively improved in their lessons. This would help the girls in a long way as everything works on computers around us. Employment opportunities for people with computer skills are constantly increasing across all the industries which is why we at AAGS aim to provide high quality digital literacy that equips the pupils with the understanding and how to apply computational thinking. It is important for them to be able to understand how digital systems work and how to put the acquired knowledge to use through programming and designing. Rubeena Parveen, KS3 Computer Science

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IT Coding Club

Computers are now part and parcel of our everyday life. The computing coding club every Monday is aimed at enhancing students’ abilities and exploring their talents in the �ield of computational thinking and problem solving aspects of everyday life.

The year 7 coding club in the Autumn Term has done some exceptional work while working on Microsoft Applications MS Excel, MS Publisher and MS Powerpoint.

From carrying out basic calculations to working with Complex formulaes and generating graphs, the efforts demonstrated by the pupils were commendable especially considering the fact that they didn’t have any prior knowledge of working on these applications. Their creativity and imaginative thinking were observed through their work on MS Publisher. They had to turn on their thinking caps and design a leafet to advertise their business using persuasive captions, logos and images. Below is the extract from their excellent work.

We will continue to be more creative in our computing club every Monday. This term (Spring 1) student will work on web designing. They will be designing the website and give it remarkable looks while also compiling the logic codes behind it. The students are quite excited to design their own web pages. InshaAllah, these talented girls have a long way to go. This is just a start for their progression in a technological world. Rubeena Parveen, KS3 Computer Science Teacher

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5 skills you can learn through coding Coding is the future. I strongly believe in teaching our students the power of coding. Pretty much everything that kids touch involves coding these days—their remote controls, TVs, phones, watches—we are a technological society, and it’s only going to increase in the future. Coding teaches students tech skills, but that’s only the beginning. Below are 5 among many bene�its students can gain from coding. 1. Critical thinking

Coding is one of the best ways to help develop critical thinking skills. . You can’t just wing it when you’re working on a coding problem. You really have to take the time and energy to look at it and understand it at a different level. This skill will serve students for many years to come.

4. Math skills Coding and math go hand in hand. When you encourage coding with your students, you’re also helping them practice their math. Best of all, they might not even realise they’re doing math, so those students who claim “I hate math” are still learning some valuable skills that will serve them for years to come. 5. Persistence

Perseverance is a hard thing to teach, but it’s an important skill to learn. We want our students to keep going when they come across an obstacle, and coding helps them do this. Momataj Begum Computer Science teacher

2. Creativity

Let’s look at that Minecraft example again. In this game, they love the creativity—they can build a world all by themselves. Kids are able to be creative and innovative completely on their own terms. This is powerful. With coding the control is completely in their hands. 3. Problem-solving skills

Not only does coding encourage problem-solving, it helps get students thinking outside the box at the same time as well. When you come across a dead end in coding, there’s always a way you can backtrack and try again. This “try, try again” mentality will help set our students up for future success.

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Soduko Rubber Duck Debugging

Ducks, dolls, and other stuff make great programmers. Here's how it works.

Got an impossible coding error to �igure out, no matter how many times you read your code, line after line? How do you solve an unsolvable problem? Talk to a duck. Or a teddy bear. Or your Star Wars. While it’s called Rubber Duck debugging, any inanimate object works.

If you sit your duck down next to your computer and carefully explain what your code is designed to do, then explain line by line how your code does what it’s supposed to do, at some point you will �ind a solution to your problem. You will �ind the bug. Or �ind an idea or two how to �ix the problem.

The modern version of Sudoku was invented in 1979 by Howard Garns in USA (where it was called ‘Number Place’). It is now quickly spreading in Japan in the 1980s and in the UK since late 2004. It is now quickly spreading worldwide. The word Soduko is an abbreviation of a phrase which means ‘the digits must occur only once.’ The aim of a Soduko puzzle is to �ill in the grid so that each row, each column and each box contains all the numbers from 1 to 9, but the easier grids are smaller, using numbers from 1 to 4 or 1 to 6. There are several levels of dif�iculty for you to try: 1) Easy. A 4 by 4 grid to start off, leading to a 6 by 6 grid.

2) Medium. 9 by 9 grids, but with plenty of numbers already in place and some helpful clues.

3) Hard. The hard puzzles have less numbers already in place and require more strategies to be used.

Give it a Go!

While it’s fun to think of inanimate objects as master coders, when humans explain code in detail often they see things they don’t notice when simply reading code. The difference between what we think happens and what actually happens becomes clear. So keep a duck or other favourite object by your computer when you code. While they might be happy to stand around all day, they also can help when you get stuck coding. Momataj Begum Computer Science Teacher

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Soduko (continued)...

Sudoku Puzzles obtained from mathssphere.co.uk

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Why Geogebra? Ms Abdullah has started to use GeoGebra software in some of her Mathematics lessons and parents and students are encouraged to try the features at home.

GeoGebra (from Geometry and Algebra) is a free, multi-platform, open-source dynamic mathematics software. It is one of the most innovative, open -code math software (GNU General Public License) which can be freely downloaded from www.geogebra.org Because of its open-source nature there are no licensing issues associated with its use, allowing students and teachers freedom to use it both within the classroom and at home. Besides, GeoGebra combines dynamic geometry, algebra, calculus, and spreadsheet features (which other packages treat separately) into a single easy-to-use package making it suitable for learning and teaching mathematics from elementary through university (Ljubica Diković, (2009)). The elements of GeoGebra are:

Menus: File; Edit; View; Options; Window; Help Tools: Move; Points; Lines; Loci/Constructions; Polygons; Circles and Circular arcs; Conics; Measurements; transformation; Slider; Visibility; Toolbar Help Views: Graphics/ Geometry View: Default view and drawing pad on which geometrical objects are constructed. Algebra View: Gives algebraic representation of objects. Spreadsheet View: Every cell has a speci�ic name and names of objects match the spreadsheet cells Input Bar: Gives algebraic command as alternative to the geometrical tools on the toolbar

Ms Abdullah has used GeoGebra in her class to allow the students to investigate straight lines and quadratics graphs. It was really great to see how the students were excited when they �igured out y=mx+c and y=ax^2+bx+c by themselves. This has enhanced their understanding of these topics and certainly has allowed them to retain the knowledge much more. To conclude, using GeoGebra in the classroom has a signi�icant impact on students’ understanding and achievement. It de�initely empowers teachers and learners of mathematics. We encourage more experimentation at home. www.geogebra.org References:

Ljubica Diković, (2009). Applications GeoGebra into Teaching Some Topics of Mathematics at the College Level. Available from: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.430.1334&rep=rep1&type=pdf Ateng’ Ogwel., (2009). Using GeoGebra in secondary school mathematics teaching. Available from: http://www.schoolnet.org.za/conference/sessions/jogwel/Using_GeoGebra_Durban_25_Presentation.pdf

(Ateng’ Ogwel, (2009)).

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THE TALE OF THE TRIPLETS Once upon a time, there lived three triplets who were always up to mischief. Their mum was fed up with them and so were their neighbours, so together they gathered and plotted to get rid of the triplets for good! The triplets were sent to their evil aunt who lived in Egypt and would torture them to death. Her name was Cleopatra. “Come my little mummies!” declared their aunt eerily as the children arrived at the doorstep of her pyramid. Reluctantly, the three triplets entered the dark pyramid and followed Cleopatra to their ‘bedroom’. With eyes of steel, she shot a piercing glare into their guilty faces, forcing them to look away from her penetrating gaze. Although the youngsters were as sly as foxes, they were like tiny ants in front of a giant mountain when they were with Cleopatra.

In the middle of the night, the foolish children escaped from the pyramid, desperate to get away from their lethal aunt. To their surprise, she didn’t try to stop them when she caught them sneaking out. The triplets ran and ran but to no avail, because they soon had to stop and turn around. It was clear that they wouldn’t survive more than 2 days in the sti�ling heat with no source of water. With their heads drooping like wilted �lowers and their faces shiny with sweat, they retreated to the daunting pyramid, miserable. Every step killed them.

Suddenly, a lion darted towards them. It had green emerald eyes that glistened under the moon. Tense, the children took slow steps back, never taking their eyes off the dangerous creature in front of them. Their breathing grew heavy and rapid as the lion took slow steps forward, taking his time and matching the pace of the frightened children. He wasn’t going to give up his rare breakfast easily. Unexpectedly, the lion growled �iercely and �lung himself onto the youngest triplet, biting into her neck viciously! Two triplets remained. The lion then chased the eldest triplet in circles around the dead body of the youngest triplet and soon succeeded in catching him. This time he was less merciful and ripped his body into shreds! One triplet remained. Finally, the lion seized the last triplet and impatiently bit him like the �irst triplet. He was the easiest prey as he was numb with fear and didn’t resist. No triplets remained. The three bodies lay limp and lifeless in pools of unpleasant blood in the middle of the desert. Nobody missed them. Their ending had been gruesome and abrupt but their careless behaviour had been the cause of that. If only they had followed rules and behaved wisely. Nobody saw them ever again...

The End

A creative short story during book club, by Zuha, Sumayyah and Umaymah in 7A

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To Teenagers… Don’t get annoyed, don’t be angry. Everyone needs advice at some point in your life, especially when you’re a teenager. Take a moment to read this.

Firstly, what you’re feeling right now is 90 percent not real. Now, you’re probably thinking what does she know; of course what I’m feeling is real. But it’s true, it’s a given fact. Your brains are just going crazy, doing summersaults everywhere, trying to �igure out who you are. Well, you’re you… you just don’t know it yet. Don’t worry… You’ll �igure it out in a few years’ time. But even now, be you. Don’t copy others, trying to be like someone else. Why be someone else when you can be you? That person’s already been taken. You haven’t. Everything you’re crying about now will make you laugh later on. Every meltdown and breakdown you’ve had will bring joy later on. Through your eyes at the moment, you just can’t see it. Imagine that, every heartbreak you’ve faced won’t matter a few years down the line. And that’s when you’ll realise your parents were right. Your parents are right about 60 percent of the time. The other 40 is probably because they’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager.

Oh and one last thing… you know your best friend? The one you call “twin” or “bestie” and literally spend your life with them? The one whom you know inside out and she knows you inside out too? Yeah that one- they might not be that same person in a couple of years. Yeah, it’s sad but that happens; it’s part of life. A life that you need to accept and live with. Khadija Tafader - Year 9A

Exam Tips for History GCSE 1. MEMORISE

3. TIME MANAGEMENT

As a teacher, I often hear students voicing the same complaint, “It’s too much material to memorise! We don’t know how to memorise!” One of the best advice my History teacher gave when I was struggling to memorise as a reluctant, nervous and under con�ident student was, “Write it down.” When you have read something which is relevant to the topic- a date, an event, a reason, a result, a name, unless you read it a few times and write down as a sentence in your books, you are more likely to forget it when you need it the most: exam time! Some people are more inclined towards ‘drawing their notes’ and that works well too. Pick up a pen and draw what you can recall about the topic. Think comic strips, think sketches, �lowcharts, etc.

I might need to remind everybody that answering the History paper requires arm and wrist exercises. It is a race against time. There are several essay questions to answer within an hour and twenty minutes! Answering the paper backwards, prioritising 16 and 12 markers will help you cover the more important questions. Each question has an ideal number of minutes you should spend on it. For example, no more than 20-25 minutes on the 16 mark questions, 14-15 minutes on the 12 mark ones.

2. STRATEGISE

I recently heard somewhere, ‘Work hard and work smart!’ It took me a couple of minutes to understand what that possibly meant. I remember sitting on the �loor of my room many years ago, teaching myself how to draw maps for my Geography exam. I had memorised the name of each district in the province I was studying about and learnt how to draw it as a map too! Much to my dismay, the exam did not even touch upon maps. I later realised I had spent too much time secretly entertaining myself with my ability to draw with accuracy and losing focus in the process. I had not divided my time well. In retrospect, I complained. I had worked so hard! Why didn’t I get the desired result? Years later I realised I may have worked hard but not smart. I laboriously drew and drew but overlooked many other parts of the topic.

4. EXAM PRACTICE

The more you practice writing answers under time constraints, the more prepared you will be for explaining causes, change, continuity and signi�icance in the exam. Most importantly, at the end of every exam, no matter what the result you should know deep within yourself that you have tried your best. As long as you try your best at everything with honesty and sincerity, the outcome will not be unsettling, inshaAllah. All the best! Ms Yamna Maqbool History Teacher

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Year 9 Project – Conflict and Hope An exhibition titled “Con�lict and Hope”showcased art work by year 9 pupils based on the theme of Remembrance Day. Poppies and silhouettes were the main highlights of the event. Many of the collages and mixed media art work symbolised con�lict versus hope. Hope was shown with bombs and �ighter planes on one side and doves and graves on another.

In the World wars, many people died in action or due to injuries. Many Muslims also fought and died during the wars. This is why Remembrance Day exists. The day remembers those who sacri�iced for us so that we can live our lives peacefully. The day is to remember those who have died and also those affected by current world situations.

One particular art work that affected me is one that uses many styles and textures and had a clear story. The background is created with a coffee wash and a silhouette of a bomber plane dropping bombs which can be seen on one side. Inn contrast to this, peace and hope is depicted with an outline of a dove and poppies. Brown tissue paper is used on the crosses of graves that symbolises the death and destruction that took place. The collage shows the dull coffee wash background slowly disappearing as hope and peace prevails. Fatimah Balogun – Year 9A

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Year 10 Non-GCSE Art

A Form of Expression and a Way to Bring out Our Inner Creativeness

At Azhar Academy, art is believed to be a subject that enables us to portray something deep. We see it as a subject of life and soul. Without it being too stressful, non-GCSE art balances between creativity and organisation. As well as that, it enlightens and develops our collaboration skills of which we will require within our daily life regardless of the specialism we go into. It expands our interests and elevates our mentality.

As we are coming towards the end of our secondary school education, we are getting nearer to our GCSE examinations; naturally there is a great amount of anxiety and tension. However, luckily for us, we continue to carry on doing art which for us is a way of relaxation, expressiveness and diversion. We are absolutely thankful for art as a subject rather than a compulsory GCSE requirement; it is a subject we enjoy and appreciate. As we only study it for 2 hours every two weeks, it is something we look forward to after a stressful and full on two weeks of lessons. Jumayah Islam – Year 10A

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GCSE Art and Design – Textile Design Specialism Throughout the course of Art GCSE, the students build on their artistic skills and work towards creating a �inal decorative piece, putting all their art skills and techniques to use. At the beginning of the course, each of us chose a certain theme that we would base our project on. I personally chose buildings and architecture as it has been something that I am inspired by. However other students chose nature or sea life as their main theme. There are many bene�its when doing art on a weekly basis. For instance, it helps expand our imagination and makes us more creative in a sense that would help boost our con�idence in other subjects. In addition to this, art enhances problem solving skills, complex analysis and critical thinking skills.

Many people may think that art is an extra GCSE which would mean extra stress. However, we see it as an opportunity to relax and do some fun work where we can use our own imagination and create something beautiful. When we receive art homework or deadlines, it is something we enjoy as we know there is no right or wrong answer. Even though we �ind art a fun subject, we make sure that our work is up-to-date and ensure all work is completed to the best of our abilities.

The fact that we are doing extra work means that we would need to manage our time effectively and be more organised. Because of this we develop even more mentally and physically, which also helps improve our time management. This can get tricky, considering the fact that most of us also study the Aalimah course and one of us is also studying for her Hifz. However our teacher organises Saturday classes for 2 ½ hours where we are able to continue our art work and do practical work that we might not be able to do at home due to lack of resources or equipment. To conclude, the Art GCSE not only helps us to improve important study and life skills but It is a subject that we all enjoy and look forward to each week. Umara Kashif – Year 10G

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Year 7 Art Project - ME!

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Recently, we have been learning about ourselves. What makes me, me? The class has been brainstorming their likes and dislikes and other information about themselves. We were also asked to bring in some objects that we value and that we feel represent us. We, the young artists, produced observational drawings of these objects focusing on tone; colour, shading and other detail. We tried to make our drawings appear as realistic as possible.

The class studied two portraits which were painted in very different styles, one which was created by Giuseppe Arcimboldo and the other one by Frida Khalo. We analysed the two art works and answered questions about the work. Ms. Mahmud also taught us about the art work and the artists. I have quite enjoyed this experience especially when we drew our special objects and I am looking forward to doing more exciting work! Zuha Khalid – Year 7A

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Year 7 Art Buildings Project Last term we did a project where we produced drawings, models and presented magni�icent building designs created with our own phenomenal imaginations. First of all, we designed and drew 3 of our own community centre designs. From cupcakes to crowns, upside down triangles to straws as slides, we thought of it all. Letting our imagination go wild, we focused on one main aspect: to make our work stand out from the casual everyday buildings and we succeeded at that goal superbly.

Last but not least, each group presented their project and models explaining who did what and how the design was meant to all come together. Generally the class had a very enjoyable and exciting experience during this project. All thanks to our amazing art teacher, Ms Mahmud! Sanjeena Bint Saif - Year7A

The year 7s worked in small groups of 4 or 5, then combined parts of their individual building designs together to create a wondrous �inal piece of art. Each pupil of the group drew their own part of the design on A3 paper giving a unique and marvellous result. Now for the main and most time consuming part of the project- making a model of it. The basic activity of the whole project was to make a model of the combined �inal building that the groups had designed. Both classes spent about 3 weeks making the models from scratch.

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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Ambassador’s Theatre On 22nd November, the year 11 classes had an amazing opportunity to watch a theatre production based on a novel we are about to start studying for our English Literature GCSE exam in May 2018. It was based on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. We understood very important concepts that we will cover in the book, for example: crime, split personality/personality disorders, the society of the time the novel was set: 19th century �iction. It was all covered in the theatre adaptation, which creatively gave us an insight into what the novel will be about. I particularly bene�itted from the science �iction elements explored in the production through stage effects. However, the actors and producers made a lot of changes to the novel plot/storyline by presenting the character of Dr Jekyll through a female perspective, who was grieving the death of her recently deceased husband, Henry Jekyll. This expressed the theme of women empowerment and the acting throughout the production was kept to an outstanding standard and was very consistent.

We all left the theatre having a very different outlook on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, due to the many changes from the novel to the adaptation. Consequently, this helped us to gain a wider understanding of the novel itself and so we will be able to link ideas as we study the novel later on in depth. We absolutely appreciate the opportunity of being able to watch adaptations in theatres organised by our English teacher, as this helps to enhance our learning and understanding of topics covered in lessons. Fahmida Islam Year 11G

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Frankenstein In year 9 we were learning about Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1816 when she was 18 years old. This novel was written during the Romantic Movement which in�luenced Shelley’s choices and ideas about her novel greatly. Romanticism was all about emphasising the imagination and emotions a character feels. It is also about preserving and respecting nature. An example of this would be Victor Frankenstein trying to create life when it was believed at the time that God gives life and no one else.

The lessons we can learn from Frankenstein is that in�luencing the natural order of things could have serious consequences. When Victor Frankenstein created the monster and brought it to life, he unleashed an unseen force of destruction. He created a living, breathing creature the unnatural way with supernatural abilities and then rejected it because the creature did not look like how Victor wanted it to look. This led to the monster causing devastation due to the feelings caused by this rejection. Therefore, we should remember that our actions have consequences. Furthermore, taking someone else’s life for revenge, or seeking revenge in general, does not bring peace. If anything, it causes even more destruction and chaos. Vengeance in the form of killing will never, ever bring complete peace.

The term, ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’, is a great example of it. If everyone was to seek revenge on a person that did wrong to them then we will never be able to live in peace and harmony. It might create a sense of justice but it will forever haunt us, no matter how wronged we felt. Victor spent the last months and days of his life just searching the monster and vowing that one of them has to die so that the string of deaths of his loved ones will end.

Another lesson you can learn from this novel is that you should never judge a book by its cover, meaning, never judge a person by their looks. A person could be the ugliest person on the planet but could have the best personality and the best traits but people would judge him due to his looks. Likewise, a person could be the most beautiful person in the world but have the worst traits and the worst personality. The monster was judged by his looks and harmed just because of his appearance. People would think he wanted to harm them and steal from them, when in reality, he was just looking for someone who would care for him and treat him like a human and make him feel welcomed. In conclusion there are many lessons we can learn from Frankenstein. You shouldn’t judge someone by their looks, you should be aware of the consequences of your actions and revenge is never the answer to serving justice. Aziza Miah -Year 9A

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Book Club

‘The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from one’s encounter with it in a book‘ André Maurois

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light. —Vera Nazarian. This is an inspirational quote that summarises the reasons for leading a book club in school. The book club in Azhar Academy Girls School gives students the opportunity to explore their reading skills, take time out from their busy schedule to open their books and immerse in a world of imagination and creativity; broadening their horizon simply through the concept of reading.

Some activities we cover during book clubs are; • Independent reading • Group discussion about favourite books • Exploring themes covered in books • Creating role plays (interviews) to question each other about their popular book • Creating short stories • Writing book reviews • Discussing the reasons why we read books

Reading a variety of texts in book clubs enhances students’ development, mind and creativity. This will ultimately help them to become better writers themselves and prepare for GCSEs.

The term, ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’, is a great example of it. If everyone was to seek revenge on a person that did wrong to them then we will never be able to live in peace and harmony. It might create a sense of justice but it will forever haunt us, no matter how wronged we felt. Victor spent the last months and days of his life just searching the monster and vowing that one of them has to die so that the string of deaths of his loved ones will end.

Another lesson you can learn from this novel is that you should never judge a book by its cover, meaning, never judge a person by their looks. A person could be the ugliest person on the planet but could have the best personality and the best traits but people would judge him due to his looks. Likewise, a person could be the most beautiful person in the world but have the worst traits and the worst personality. The monster was judged by his looks and harmed just because of his appearance. People would think he wanted to harm them and steal from them, when in reality, he was just looking for someone who would care for him and treat him like a human and make him feel welcomed. In conclusion there are many lessons we can learn from Frankenstein. You shouldn’t judge someone by their looks, you should be aware of the consequences of your actions and revenge is never the answer to serving justice. Aziza Miah -Year 9A

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Student SACRE In November, selected pupils from year 10 were given the chance to join the prestigious national organisation: Student SACRE

Student SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) consists of a group of young people from Newham schools who are interested in moral and religious issues from different backgrounds. Student SACRE is known nationally for the innovative work it has produced on identity and faith sensitivities, whilst giving students the opportunity of developing leadership skills during the time that they attend. At their �irst SACRE meeting, our pupils took part in a workshop where they used poetry to explore the theme of 'religious bullying'. Anjuma’s poem in resonated with many.

particular,

As our students continue to attend SACRE meetings, they will have the opportunity to

Poem by Anjuma Begum (as published on http://joshuaseigalpoet.blogspot.co.uk/)

“My problem is not what comes out of your mouth, Not the lies you live by. I am not bothered by your perception of me, Because I am worth more than this body you are quick to judge. This out�it, my �igure is a distorted shadow, I have two countries growing within me. I wear my religion like a halo around my head, I glow like a �ire�ly and blood �lushes and brings life to my skin. Your skin is dry – you cannot get to what you cannot touch in me You cannot make me echo grief that I do not share with you, This body is my temple, and I have birds singing off key within me. I didn’t ask you to sing along, Sing with me, or don’t sing at all, Love me, or don’t love me at all. But do not shout your bullet words at me as I walk away, I am everything that has tried to silence me, Bullets that I have caught between my teeth. I have a dragon growing under my tongue, A Phoenix in my heart. Do not tell me I am not beautiful, your de�inition of beauty is sugar coated in lies, I know this with all the cracks you’ve made in me, you have only brought more light into me. Because I am worth more than this body you are quick to judge”.

• Promote dialogue between young people of differing faiths and secular backgrounds and cultures, supporting collaborative work

• Contribute to community bene�it, as it seeks to develop young people’s skills in understanding their concerns and provides a place for them to learn to become an initiator and developer of solutions • Discuss spiritual and moral issues that are important to them • Bring back everything they learn and share with the rest of the school

S. Nakhuda, Religious Education Teacher Page 30

Knitting and Crochet Club Azhar Academy Girls School has been running a knitting and crochet club every Wednesday morning since September 2017 and we are now into our second term with a second group of students. Students who are new to the craft are taught about different yarns, needles, slip knots, cast on and are introduced to the basic knit stitch and encouraged to complete a scarf by the end of the term. Students who have prior knowledge of either knitting or crochet are helped with advance stitches and techniques such as the purl stitch, colour changing for striped patterns and rib stitch. They will also apply these techniques to make a scarf or a project of their choice. Alhamdulillah most of the students participating have enjoyed their club and are often seen knitting in break time. As well as being a fun and social craft, knitting/crochet has many advantages and bene�its that will help students now and into their adulthood.

Experts have identi�ied that knitting actually brings with it a slew of health-boosting bene�its. Besides being a classic skill and a method of creative expression, sometimes in unexpected ways, it actually has mental, physical, and emotional bene�its. Those who knit know how nice it is to relax after a long day with their current project and just be still for a little bit. It’s really soothing!

Believe it or not, your child can sharpen their maths skills without doing rows and rows of arithmetic — or at least, that’s what it will seem like. Math is an inherent part of knitting, as patterns often include counting stitches and rows, as well as �iguring out pattern repeats, multiples and measuring. When you knit, you do most of that stuff subconsciously, though but the effect on your brain is the same: stronger mathematical skill. Students are also helped, as knitting patterns requires reading and following verbal instructions, as well as problem solving and troubleshooting. Mistakes often happen, and they are a great opportunity to look back at how the error occurred and �igure out how to �ix it.

As a skill that includes both hands and follows a particular rhythmic pattern, it also helps with developing �ine motor skills, which is transferable into writing skills.

Knitting makes your brain actively rely on its memory, and the more you use it, the stronger your memory becomes. Just like with math, knitting is all about remembering what you’re doing- when to knit and when to purl, what colour stripe comes next, and how many rows go into which part of the project. Studies have shown that among older people, those who knit or crochet had a decreased chance of age-related cognitive impairment or memory loss. Among people aged 70 to 89, the studies showed that the knitters and crocheters had the healthiest brains and memories. It suggests that crafts like this help the brain create and maintain the neural pathways that keep the mind and memory sharp.

Knitting and crocheting are skills that can be learnt and mastered by everyone and can provide a con�idence boost especially to girls who lack self-con�idence. If working on a project is ful�illing, completing one is even better! When you’ve �inished something, you have a physical thing that you can hold up and look at and say with pride, “I did that!” Because knitting includes a �inished object that your child can use or wear (or gift to somebody), it has its own built-in reward system. The mental and emotional case for knitting is equally strong. Once the basic steps are mastered, the repetitive nature of knitting and crochet helps to make it a meditative and calming activity. It is also a creative hobby, allowing your child to select colours and patterns, and maybe even adapting the pattern to suit their own ideas or needs. There is so much that can be made with knitting and crochet. It is a hobby that can start very simple and grow and change in complexity as your child grows and masters’ new skills one at a time, self-learning though books and videos. Mrs Asma Ravat History Teacher/Knitting Club Teacher

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P.E – Football & Hockey At the beginning of every PE lesson we always spend time warming up our muscles and joints to help prevent any injuries before we practice our sport skills and play a match. We warm up by jogging laps, star jumping, side skipping, relay racing and lots of different movement exercises. During the �irst part of term 1 we played football and learnt different skills that we could apply in our matches. Some of the skills we practiced each week were dribbling, passing, shooting, tackling and heading the ball. We also learnt about the different positions in football such as goalkeeper, defender, mid-�ielder, attacker and striker. We learnt a lot about the sport as it was very interactive and helped us improve on our teamwork and our match performance. In the second part of the term we learnt the skills and techniques to play indoor hockey. We �irst learnt how to hold the hockey stick with the left hand placed on the higher part of the stick and the right hand lower down. We then practiced dribbling the puck using the hockey stick in a single line and weaving in and out of cones. We practiced skills and drills such as how to pass to team players and use techniques in shooting the puck and a very dif�icult skill called slalom, this was the most challenging. We also learnt how to tackle, it was a little dif�icult at �irst controlling the hockey stick and puck, but after a lot of practice we learnt how to do this and shoot properly. Overall, it was a fun experience learning new skills and how to play hockey properly. Written by 10A Students

Competitive Debating Club Competitive Debating Club is truly an experience that once joined, you will never forget. By joining the club I learnt many skills that help me with the language I use in my writing and also skills I can use on a daily basis. It provided experiences that were conducive to cognitive and presentational skills as we acquired unique educational bene�its that provided us with the opportunity to polish skills far beyond what can be learnt in any other setting.

My Experience in French Lesson

French is a lesson that I always look forward to attending. In French, we are taught many techniques which help us perfect the way we speak the language as well as acquiring skills which develop our written skills. The topics of our studies are also vast - from grammar to months of the year and colours.

Aside from learning the language, we also learn many interesting things about France and the language itself, making the lessons worth going to and learning about. Our teacher, Madame Borg always tries to make the lesson as interactive as possible and makes it a language everyone feels intrigued to learn. They are incredibly fun, yet informative lessons. Learning to incorporate the language into real life scenarios by taking it from theory to reality makes it all the more an incredible subject! Maesha Radeeya 7G

Debating club has allowed me to develop my speaking skills; learning such a bene�icial rhetorical eloquence challenged and boosted my con�idence as I was able to step out of my comfort zone and deploy rational and reasoned arguments supported by compelling evidence. From my experience in this club, I have understood the importance of not being biased as the discussions on controversial topics allow for a deeper understanding of aspects one may not always initially agree with. It was intriguing to learn and hear about other people’s opinions on the topics which further allow you to gain insight into a person based solely on their perspective.

Furthermore, group debates were essential in establishing team work and building a rapport with different students, many who were not in my class. This also facilitated in a boost in my self-esteem as well as broadening my perspective and understanding on various topics. Debating is a fun and sociable way of sharing ideas, arguing ef�iciently and become more eloquent in your speech. To be honest, if I were you, debating club would be my �irst pick! Asma Nkwanzi – Year 7G

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Homework Club Last term I chose to be part of the Homework Club that was run by Mrs Abdullah. I chose this club because I wanted extra support with my Maths and Arabic homework. I made the right choice because this club was very relaxing and helpful. Mrs Abdullah would let us get on with our homework in groups or by ourselves, and if we needed any help, she would come over and assist us. The club was on a Wednesday which was really convenient, as, by the middle of the week, I always had so much Aalimah and NC homework piled up that it got really stressful, and so it was nice to have some time to try and get as much of it done as possible. This term I chose Homework Club again and I managed to get a place, so I was really happy. I highly recommend the homework club to all students, especially those in year 10 and 11 as it is an easy way to get your homework done and get help with any subject that you are struggling with.

Aisha Shahab – Year 10A

Every Wednesday, some students have been alocated to attend Homework Club. This term, we are lucky enough to be part of this club. The primary goal of this club is to support our learning, and this opportunity helps ease the pressure. Furthermore, homework club has many bene�its and advantages. It helps us with time management because it offers extra time to do our tasks.

Apart from that, the quiet and peaceful environment is extremely bene�icial because it ensures that we gain maximum bene�it from our time. In addition to this, it motivates us to complete our work and it emphasises the importance of working hard to reach success. We are able to get assistance through our teacher and peers. It helps us to reduce our stress because we could �inish off any last-minute pieces of work.

In conclusion, it helps us to develop good working habits and organisational skills. We believe that this club has an overall positive impact on the students. Aisha Yunus Jasat & Syeda Jannah Ahmed Year 9G Page 33

Aalimaah/ Islamic Studies & Hifz As salamu ‘alaikum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh

I hope this �inds you in the highest of Imaan and health.

Alhamdulilah our new academic year has gotten off to a smooth start, with all of our pupils now well into the second term of their new classes. Our new Aalimah, Islamic and Hifz Studies staff have also settled into the school well and are busy preparing pupils for their mid-year examinations. These examinations are scheduled to take place between Monday 5th February- Friday 10th February 2018. Tips to help you and your child, before and during the exam period

Ensure both you and your child have a copy of the examination timetable At home, provide them with a well- lit, quiet area to study Help them draw up a revision timetable, giving suf�icient time to each subject- stick this som where visible, where you’ll both be able see it Discourage last minute revision Consume a healthy diet Continuously supplicate to Allah Subhana wa taa’la Encourage your child to approach their teacher or help should they need to do so- before the exam Regularly review Surahs and Duaas they have memorised

Aside from our mid- year exams, there are many other things taking part in the Aalimah, Islamic and Hifz Studies department throughout the rest of the term. This includes our 2nd annual ‘Imam Bukhari Day’, hosted by our 5th Year Aalimah students, a charity fund raising event, hosted by Year 9 Islamic Studies students, and more inshallah. I pray that all of our pupils succeed in all of their worldly examinations, as well in the ultimate test of the hereafter, ameen.

Apa Roshan Head of Aalimaah/Islamic Studies & Hifz

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The Prospect of Unity - Sisterhood Day With support from teachers and each other, the Tarbiyyah mentors worked cohesively to organise, prepare and present the anticipated Sisterhood Day. The purpose of this annual celebration is to build companionship, as well as reinforce the love, unity and of course sisterhood between our peers at Azhar Academy. Alhamdulillah, the mentors, with assistance from a few classmates, successfully ful�illed their responsibility in achieving this motive.

The cheerful day commenced with various activities, ranging from creating sweet cones to role plays to painted handprints. Each event held a speci�ic signi�icance, particularly the handprints. Different colours, shapes and sizes placed side by side together and undivided represents equality, despite our individual and unique distinctions. The decorative banner currently hangs on display in our school, as a memory and a constant visible reminder of the cherished sisterhood within Azhar. Another example being the role play activities, which consolidates teamwork with each other.

Furthermore, our objective was to amalgamate friendship and values, as well as enjoyment and fun. Our purpose was to hopefully distinguish any resentment and hostility and rather integrate hospitality and harmony. It is essential to incorporate the fact that we are all sisters in Islam who love each other for the sake of Allah (SWT). In order to do so, an environment of warmth and boundless vivacity is frequently encouraged in our school, alhamdulillah.

When the effects of Sisterhood Day are visible through small changes in the way we interact and feel, it can be outlined that the experience produced by the Tarbiyyah mentors was productive and bene�icial. We must continually support and wish the best for our sisters, following the hadith of Muhammad (SAW); love for your brother what you love for yourself. Not only do we strengthen bonds and community in this world, but also pile our rewards for the hereafter, where we pray to be united again in Jannah, inshaaAllah. Zainab Abdulalim – Year 11G

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Hifz and Dedication Some people might think that attempting to memorise the Holy Qur’an can be quite an arduous task, whereas others may say, how hard can it be? The point that I am trying to make is this, that no matter what- never, ever, give up! I wanted to memorise the Qur’an, so I made sure that I dedicated myself to it.

Alhamdulillah, along with the never- ending support of my parents and teachers I have now memorised 10 entire Juzz of the Qur’an; and of course nothing comes without the help of Allah Subhana wa taa’la. AAGS provides a Hifz-ul Qur’an course for students who are willing to memorise His divine book. A verse in the Qur’an states: “And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?” (54:17).

This verse is trying to explain to us that the Qur’an has been made easy for us to remember; for those who want to make the effort. Just think about the people at the time of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W), almost all of the companions had memorised the Qur’an, not just the male, but also the female companions.

Just imagine, if you managed to memorise a page a day, you would be able to �inish the entire Qur’an in just 2 years! Yet, nothing comes without effort and dedication. Dedication is a vital ingredient. Dedication means to not only learn new pages every day, but also to constantly revise and go over pages previously memorised. Without daily revision, trying to retain what has passed will become impossible. I believe my t eachers have played a huge role in my 1½ years that I have been at Azhar so far, may Allah Subhana wa taa’la reward them for their efforts. Do not ever think that you cannot do it, say that you can, and dedicate yourself! May Allah Subhana wa taa’la make it easy for those who memorise the Qur’an and for those wishing to memorise it. Asma Shaik - Year 8G, Hifz Student Page 36

Qasas un Nabiyyeen This year in Qasas Un Nabiyyeen, one of the Prophets we have learnt about is Nuh (AS). The parts of his story that has inspired me the most is when Nuh (AS) preached for 950 years continuously even though his entire nation constantly mocked him and disrespected him. This portrays his patience and perseverance, inspiring me to be more resilient and keep trying even if I fail the �irst time. Qasas has always been my favourite subject because of the thrill of learning about the pophets’ beautiful lives, their miracles and their patience. This has really changed my perspective towards life. I also enjoy translating the stories from Arabic to English, which has helped me expand my vocabulary. I have always been careless about my actions, but learning about the destruction of many nations in the past has struck my heart tremendously. The beautiful mannerism and characteristics have made me more aware of my actions than ever before. Amaani K Patel – Year 8A

Seerah Club

Seerah Club is a club all about the Prophet Muhammad S.AW’s life before his death. The club highlights all the key events that took place in his life including his birth. Whilst learning some interesting history we learn more about our beloved Prophet, facts we know and we don’t know. The club is run by Apa Mohima, who teaches the club with great intricacy, carefully telling us all the details and open for question, allowing us to understand the topic fully. This is another reason why this club is very enjoyable.

The club is also helpful for learning Islamic general knowledge and as well as helps in Religious Education, Islamic Studies including Aalimah Studies and as we study in an Islamic school, we should learn more about our beloved Prophet so we can appreciate what he did for us and what he left behind for us. I attended this club and I enjoyed it immensely. I learnt many new facts I didn’t know before. I learnt about the Prophet Muhammad SAW’s birth, childhood, youth, his jobs, marriage, battles, family and his death. The clubs were very interactive and I would recommend it to anyone. Written by Fatimah Balogun 9A

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Islamic Word Search Taleemul Haq is a concise, informative, and enlightening collection of fiqh. Throughout its study our students are able to learn the basic principles and important practices of Islam in a simplified manner. The teachings of the 5 pillars of Islam, basics of fiqh and aqeedah are things that every Muslim must be acquainted with and follow accordingly, before he/she further studies the rights and duties of Islam. Below is a word search of some of the key words 1st year students have covered over the 1st term. Try to find as many as you can! T A Y A M M U M Z S D R T G N H U O Z K

A S D F G H J K L Q N W E R T Y I A I O

T W S D E F C V B N I M T Y H J B N B V

C A P O L J Q A H V Y F R T Y O U U J M

T G H H B N Q A T I Y L P G O T B N M Q

Y H G A B N N E D F A A T R J K L O P O

M W S S R X C B N N T S A M G R E K T O

A A Z A I A V F A E S A H H T A A L U

W T S H F V T G Y T G G H A L E C Z A H

E A N A T T F H O W N N P I J O A I H T

R H I I H A H J O H A M O P K O K N S R

M Y A H A V H K E S Y T I P L R H Q I Q

A S O O M T K L T Y A M T O N H U A B M

K E N N O Z E H G Q O A T L M R F T A I

R E M U O A E H D N H K A K V A F Y A S

O N A T T H L E I A N H G J F L A F Z W

O J T R E U E H A T M U E G R L I A D A

H U T Y H R R N A E R L T T T P N R F K

NIYYAT (Intention)

KHUFFAIN (Socks)

TAYAMMUM (Dry ablution)

ZABOOR (Psalms)

TAQDEER (Fate)

GHALEEZAH (Impurity)

MAKROOH (Disapproved~)

MASAH (Wiping)

TAHARAT (Cleanliness)

MISWAK (Toothbrush)

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My Journey with the Arabic language In the �irst term of year 11 in Arabic we covered a variety of topics to prepare us for our upcoming GCSEs. We began the year by learning about the different �ields of work and how to talk about work experience, future job aspirations and how to apply for a job application in Arabic. Not only are these skills relevant to our curriculum but they could also be useful in the future if we are granted the opportunity to study or work in an Arab country.

In addition, we covered topics under the theme of media, such as the internet and TV programmes /�ilms. These topics are extremely necessary to learn about in this day and age as almost everything we do uses the internet or technology in some way. I am now able to write a �ilm review in Arabic, list the advantages and disadvantages of the internet and write a well structured email to a friend or family member completely in Arabic.

In my opinion, Azhar has provided me with a wide variety of Arabic skills which will be able to set me apart from others in future regardless of the �ield of work. Due to the importance and high demand for languages in our current society I feel that studying Arabic is very useful and bene�icial. Also the lessons are very interesting and exciting as we have resources that combined with books, power points and videos that enhanced our learning and development. After 5 years we have now reached a point where we can communicate our feelings and opinions very well and our language skills have developed signi�icantly. Aaliyah Natha - Year 11G

The most recent topics we have been covering are regarding cultural celebrations, fashion and traditions. This has allowed us to not only be able to fully communicate and inform others of our own culture in a different language, but also to immerse ourselves in another culture and make ourselves aware of the Arabic customs and celebrations and compare them to our own.

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Arabic Grammar Club

Throughout the �irst term, there were Arabic Grammar clubs held for allocated students every Tuesday. These were planned and run by two motivational teachers, Apa Yasmeen and Apa Zarrin.

Grammar! Grammar! Grammar! The name of this club doesn’t trigger much excitement or interest, sort of a monotonous idea. However, it was exactly the opposite; in fact, enhancing our Arabic grammar skills actually became fun and enjoyable. This club enabled students to focus on aspects of Arabic grammar that we often struggle in. It helped us immensely, by strengthening our foundation skills of Arabic grammar, such as the types of Kalimah, singular, duals and plurals, sentence structure, recognising word cases, analysing verbs and analysing whole sentences. As part of our learning, we were working on a project to help every student in school with tarkeeb. Tarkeeb is sentence analysis. Teachers, as well as students felt that tarkeeb was the weak point of many students. That lack of knowledge and skill to analyse Arabic sentences was evidently holding students back from attaining better results. Thus, Tarkeeb being an important aspect of Arabic grammar, we felt the need to create a solution and a useful tool.

Our goal as a club was to create a burger, with ingredients associated to the components of Arabic grammar. This astounding idea not only sounds very intriguing but the outcome, alhamdulillah, was amazing. Many ingredients linked onto grammatical terms very well, thus assisting us to remember rules quite quickly. MashaAllah, as a club, we succeeded in creating this tarkeeb burger. The best part of our project was, of course that as a reward, we were treated to amazing burgers, made at Azhar by our amazing cook, Aunty Rashida. Overall, this club had an overall positive impact and we are extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity to be part of this exciting, bene�icial club! Arabic Grammar Club

And so we were lucky enough to work with a common favourite food, BURGERS!

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Arabic Club

During the autumn term the Arabic Department offered the students the opportunity to participate in an extracurricular Arabic club.

The aim of this club was to provide our students with the chance to practice their language skills outside lesson time. Furthermore, this club has helped students to build their teamwork skills as well as leadership, taking initiative and being responsible. The students did all the work by themselves with little help from their Arabic teacher who was leading the session.

Initially, they were put in a group of their choice and they were given the option of writing a bilingual children story book or writing and performing a play. After a debate the class voted for writing a bilingual children book; this was very exciting and entertaining even for me as a teacher and as we discussed the planning of this project we all looked forward for the �inal outcome.

At �irst students had to discuss the general idea and the moral lesson behind their book. They were also asked to plan their roles and create a title for the book. As everybody engaged in the conversation around the classroom, they all produced 4 titles and they planned their roles in the project, distributing writing the English lines of the story amongst themselves.

Subsequently, students were heavily occupied with the lengthy process of translating their English script into Arabic and getting it approved by the teacher in order for it to go on the �inal script page where they planned the page number, the lines (Arabic/English) and pictures. Eventually, students reached the most enjoyable phase of their project; planning the pictures and drawing them as well as creating the title page.

This club was also considered as a cross curricular activity with English, since the students were writing the story of their book in English �irst which enhanced their creative writing skills. In addition to building their interpersonal skills, this club enabled our students to work in a team and overcome obstacles together, and as they �inally assembled their story book it was truly an astonishing achievement for them (they were only year 7 & 8) and it is one that made me extremely proud as they have put a great amount of effort in this project. Mrs Asia Zahe Arabic Teacher

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Azhar Academy Girls School 235a Romford Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 9HL T: 020 8555 5959

www.aags.org.uk